Filipino Declared World’s Shortest Man

Posted on June 16, 2011 by Jeff

On the same day he turned 18, Filipino Junrey Balawing was declared the world’s shortest man by the Guinness Book of World Records.  Balawing stands 59.93 centimeters or 23.5 inches high, about 2.5 inches shorter than the previous record holder,  Khagendra Thapa Magar of Nepal.  Junrey’s parents took him out of school because they were afraid for his safety.  He has trouble standing up and speaking, and local doctors had trouble diagnosing his problem (his three siblings are normal height).  It is hoped that he and his family can benefit economically from his new found fame, as the previous record holder from Nepal and his family benefited from being part of a tourism campaign for Nepal.

Posted in (simple), DUDE WTF ASIA, WTF | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Rich Cho Becomes General Manager of Charlotte Bobcats

Posted on June 16, 2011 by Mihee

From the Charlotte Observer: “The NBA’s Charlotte Bobcats will bring an entirely different perspective to their front office today when Rich Cho is named the team’s general manager. In an exclusive interview Monday with the Observer, Cho and current general manager Rod Higgins confirmed Cho’s hiring … Cho, the first Asian-American general manager in major-league sports, got here on an unconventional path…” I’m all for diversifying the visibility of professional sports! Even if the Bobcats aren’t terribly exciting.

Posted in (simple), Sports | 4 Comments

Kung Fu Panda 2 Review

Posted on June 16, 2011 by tinabot

http://youtu.be/YdaMGcOyfjM

When I watched the first Kung Fu Panda, it was in a home theater on bluray and HDTV goodness, and my friends had to pause the movie in the first five minutes because I was laughing so hard I was crying. We couldn’t proceed until I had calmed down (about 15 minutes later). Needless to say, it was instantly one of my all-time favorite movies. I love kung fu and kung fu movies, and here was movie about a martial arts geek manifested as a large panda infused with Jack Black’s soul. Pure genius.

So for Kung Fu Panda 2, I had to experience it on the big screen and in 3D awesomeness no less. Definitely worth it!

Non-spoiling details after the jump.

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Popular Posts on 8Asians in the Past Month

Posted on June 15, 2011 by Guest Writer

Here are some of the most popular posts on 8Asians this past month that you may have missed out on:

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Does Race Exist?

Posted on June 15, 2011 by Koji Steven Sakai

I’ve spent the last year writing about Asian stereotypes on the Internet. In one of my recent articles, I asked the question: “Are Asians the Smartest Race?” As I was researching this question, I kept reading that race doesn’t really exist and that it is just a social construct.

Could this be true? Is race really something that WE created to separate ourselves from each other? Or is race real? Are there biological differences between Asian, Africans, Europeans, and others?  Needless to say, I’m not qualified to answer this question and for once I decided not to Google it. Instead, I went out and found someone who is qualified.

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Posted in 8Questions, Discrimination | 62 Comments

Diwali Pushed as a School Holiday in Silicon Valley

Posted on June 15, 2011 by Jeff

While I was driving home with The Daughter and one of her friends on an early November evening, the friend pointed to a house lit with Christmas lights.  “Isn’t it early for Christmas lights?” she asked.  “Not for Christmas,”  I replied.  “For Diwali.”

Living in Silicon Valley for the past twenty-five years, I have noticed that the local Indian American population has been celebrating the festival of Diwali more and more visibly.   Now, there is a push in some of the more heavily Indian school districts to make Diwali an official holiday.
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Posted in Education, Lifestyles, Local, Religion, San Francisco Bay Area | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

U-Pick Orchards a Hit Among Asian-American Families

Posted on June 15, 2011 by Ernie

From the Contra Costa Times: “About 150,000 people come to Brentwood for the U-pick farms each season. The popularity of U-pick farms among the Asian community is evident in the different languages spoken among the crowds of cherry pickers at each farm. Children were carefully instructed how to select the best cherries and strawberries from the early crops by their elders in Cantonese, Vietnamese, Mandarin, Tagalog and other Asian and Pacific Islander dialects.” Gotta love my people; only we could take a break from our hectic work schedules by traveling out to a field to do more work. (Hat tip: George K.)

Posted in (simple), Family, Lifestyles, San Francisco Bay Area | 1 Comment

Yul Kwon Hosts LinkAsia – Premiering This Weekend

Posted on June 15, 2011 by John

Yul Kwon, of Survivor fame, recently left the FCC to host America Revealed, which will air on PBS in the fall of 2011. Now, Kwon has moved onto his next endeavor as the host of LinkAsia:

From Beijng to Tokyo, from Seoul to New Delhi and beyond, LinkAsia takes viewers into media about Asia – from Asia – offering unfiltered insight into one of the most diverse, fast-paced regions of the globe. Each week, LinkAsia brings you a unique half-hour program that combines everything from the official state news from Asia’s top television’s networks to the trends and conversation rising through Asia’s blogs and social media.

LinkAsia can be found on Link TV via  satellite (DISH, Channel 9410 and DirecTV channel 375) and select cable television systems and premieres this weekend. You can catch the first show here online.

Posted in Entertainment, TV | 1 Comment

Surrogate Valentine DVD and Digital Download, Including Soundtrack

Posted on June 15, 2011 by Ernie

Man, it just feels like yesterday when we mentioned that our buddy Goh Nakamura had his music video “Embarcadero Blues” reach one million views on YouTube. (Okay, it’s been three years, but who’s counting?) One self-released album later and it looks like Goh is ready to show off his new project: an indie film called Surrogate Valentine — yes, it’s based off of one of his songs — directed by Dave Boyle where he plays a struggling indie musician named, aptly, Goh Nakamura. (For those not quite comfortable: it’s totally okay in indie movie world to have characters with the same name as yours, yet have the movie not be a documentary.)

The movie made its debut at the SXSW Film Festival in Austin to great reviews, and proceeded to show across the country for various film festivals; now you can  get his Limited Edition DVD + Digital Download (Including Soundtrack) ($25) on Amazon today. The purchase also includes a download code to get the entire soundtrack as well.

Posted in DVDs, Music | Leave a comment

Black Original Kaba Modern T-Shirt by Rhythm Rockerz

Posted on June 15, 2011 by jozjozjoz

Who can forget Season One of America’s Best Dance Crew where Kaba Modern made their splash on the national stage?

Sport the original Kaba Modern T-Shirt by Rhythm Rockerz ($25), featuring the red Kaba Modern Logo on a white paint splatter background.

On the back is white Kaba Modern Type with script “For the Love of Dance, For the Love of Each Other.”

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Maternity Tourism Not Only Used For Anchor Babies

Posted on June 14, 2011 by Tim

A new article from Star News on Maternity Tourism in Queens, NY challenges the previous assumption that Maternity Tourism — the act of a foreigner coming to the U.S. solely for the purpose of delivering their baby in the U.S. to get citizenship — in the Chinese community is just for citizenship.

I previously wrote about a house that was shut down in San Gabriel, CA for code violations and was obviously housing Chinese moms who had come to the U.S. to deliver their babies. Star News instead investigates the same types of operations in Queens, NY, only to find that most “Maternity Tourism” homes cater to recent legal immigrants who have trouble bringing their own moms over from China to help care for their baby in the first month in a practice called “zuo yuezi,” where the baby is brought up in seclusion for the first month. The idea is to prevent the baby from being exposed to any germs, etc that might harm them in the first month, traditionally thought to be the most delicate and fragile one for the new child. It’s also designed to let the mother recover from the delivery, with a special diet, and plenty of rest that first month.

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Posted in Business, Current Events, Family, Health, Lifestyles, New York | 2 Comments

How Indie Band Random Ninjas Created Their Album, Random Hero

Posted on June 14, 2011 by tinabot

I recently had the rare opportunity to witness first-hand an independently produced professional album from song writing to the final CD release party, and wow, what a journey. I thought I would share this experience for those who might be interested in the anatomy of a dream coming true. The band is Random Ninjas; the album is Random Hero. Forging dreams from guitar strings is tough business. Sadly, this is especially true if you’re an Asian American musician. Two-thirds of this six-musician band is Asian American, and they integrate taiko drums as part of their sound. Here’s the story of how they made their independent album a reality, after the jump.

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Posted in Entertainment, Music | 2 Comments